Benchmark leads $19m Sailthru financing round

Mobile, social and cloud computing-focused venture firm Benchmark has led a $19m financing round for digital branding and communications company Sailthru.

The Series B round more than doubles Sailthru’s previous financing, which comprised a $1m seed round in 2010 and an $8m Series A in 2011.

DFJ Gotham and corproate venture capital firm AOL Ventures also took part in the latest round, which will see Benchmark’s Bill Gurley join the Sailthru board of directors.

Sailthru said it increased revenue by 270 per cent in the past year, with an average monthly growth rate of over nine per cent.

The company now supports clients across five continents, recently opened a West Coast office in San Francisco and plans to expand into Europe in the second quarter of this year.

Gurley a general partner at Benchmark, said, “As all digital businesses evolve to the next level, the best companies are focused on how they can deliver an individualized experience for each and every customer.

“Sailthru is a company that exemplifies this by placing the individual at its core to enable companies to adopt a personalised approach to serve their customers.

“Companies that embrace this approach see much higher conversion rates, and as a result higher revenues and more satisfied customers. It’s a powerful combination.”

The Carlyle Group and Southern Capital Group are rumoured to be in talks to tell their majority stake in Indonesian telecoms tower operator Solusi Tunas Pratama (STP), which could value the company at about $1bn.

Donald Trump is scrapping two business councils in an embarrassing move for the ex-real estate mogul, including the strategy and policy forum led by Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman.

AltAssets has been serving the global private equity industry for over a decade and has become established as a trusted source of independent news and views on the industry by thousands of professionals worldwide.